The Nathan Williamson trained Dark Horse further cemented her status as one of the most exciting harnes racing trotters to come out of the province in recent times, when she easily accounted for eight rivals in the Winton Workouts Mobile Trot.
The Bacardi Lindy four year old whose long term goal is the Harness Jewels at Ashburton was not rushed early by Williamson.
At the 400 metre mark he peeled her off the back of Starlight Invasion and she trotted stylishly to the front and said good night nurse to the other runners.
She trotted down to the finishing line untouched, winning by three and a half lengths from Overcast. Her winning time of 3-00.9 was marginally outside the mares track record and New Zealand mares record of 2-59. recorded by Ready Set in 2010.
Dark Horse winning easily Photo Bruce Stewart
"She's progressing and felt good out there today. I'm not sure what's next for her but we'll sort something out," said Williamson who doesn't plan to race the mare too far from home for this part of the season.
The win today was her fourth from just nine starts and she now carries a C3 assessment.
"She's got a lot stronger this year. Gait wise she's lovely. Manners are probably her one weakness. I don't think she can do a lot of work in her races yet but with so much speed she doesn't have to."
She was bred by the Grice brothers Bevan and Keith and raced on lease by the Griffins Syndicate and Seafield Trotting Syndicate.
Dark Horse is out of the maiden Sundon mare Juliana who is also the dam of Monty Python the winner of nine races, Father Christmas (8) and Sarah Palin (6).
Bevan Grice said Juliana was a talented mare which ran second to One Over Kenny at Cambridge in the a two year trotting race in 2004 making up fifteen lengths to get within a neck of the winner.
"Past the post she was in front. We found out that she had an infected uterus and that made her niggly," he said.
Grice said that Nathan Williamson has the mare's next foal Pollyanna, a two year old filly by The Pres and he states that Juliana produced a colt foal by Quaker Jet this morning. She'll be returning to Bacardi Lindy.
"I can't remember how Dark Horse got her name but Keith and I sit down and name all our foals. We like to have fun. We named a colt by The Pres out of Rugged Cross Donald Trump and a filly by The Pres out of Vivian Leigh Crooked Hillary. Both names have been approved."
Bruce Stewart
Southland Harness Racing